"Once upon a time." History of a City Block
Overview
The Cherry Street Community Garden site has a longer history. Before it became a space for food production and communal interaction, it was a vibrant city block with residential buildings. Many families lived on the land for many decades. Before 1930s, there were six property lots in this location. Before 1930, property maps and Sanborn maps show that there were six property lots listed in the B. K. Miller’s subdivision. After 1930, these lots was converted and consolidated into four lots.
Who lived here?
This page describes the history of the land where the Cherry Street Community Garden sits. These homes and people are long gone, but their history remains buried in many locations. Rich and Lisa tells us that when they till the soil they dig out remains of the homes. The garden is therefore an archaeological site. We find information about these homes in the City Archives. As we dig into the building permits and tax information we discover the care of homeownership. At the historical society archives, manuscript census documents offer us a glimpse into the diverse residents who once lived on this block. This page will document these stories from the past.
Come back to this page as we continue to add stories of each property lot that existed in this city block.
Come back to this page as we continue to add stories of each property lot that existed in this city block.
1421 N 23rd Street (formerly plot 453)
The address of the property lot located on the southwest corner of the block was 453 N 23rd Street. It was later changed to 1421 N 23rd Street after 1930. The raze permit for this address, dated July 16,2012 describes a one and a half story, 764 sq. ft., frame building. The building footprint had a volume of 19,000 cubic feet. The building was razed, removed, and graded on July 17, 2012. The 1900 United States Federal Census Schedule lists William Schumacher as the owner of this property. Born in 1860, Schumacher immigrated to the United States from Germany in 1863. The 1900 US Federal Census shows Schumacher's occupation as a tea master. Married to Lena Schumacher, the couple had two children named Annie and William. Schumacher's occupation changes to a laborer in the 1910 US Federal Census Schedule. By 1920 the census schedule indicates that Schumacher's widowed partner Lena is the head of the household. The ownership records show that Schumacher had died on October 2, 1912 and Lena Schumacher became the owner of this property on September 15, 1920. Records show that in 1920 Anna Schumacher worked as a stenographer in a real estate company and William worked as a painter's helper in a local wagon shop. By 1930, manuscript census indicates that the children moved away and Lena Schumacher remained the only occupant of the address. 1431 N 23rd Street (formerly plot 461) Plot 461 had two one-and-a-half-story residential houses. 1900 manuscript census shows that the front building was occupied by Frank Beischer and Peter Holdman’s families who were German immigrants. The landlady, Jane Kaiser was living in the rear building with another immigrant tenant, Jane Schmidt. We can see from the 1910 manuscript census that Ms. Kaiser’s daughter Emma Baldauf moved in with her husband John Baldauf and three children. Only the Holdman family was living in the front building in 1910 with his wife Mennie Holdman, two sons, and five daughters. Peter Holdman’s occupation changed from teamster to mechanist by the time he owned the house in the 1920s. Anton Kriegl’s family moved in according to the 1920 manuscript census in the front building with the Holdman’s. John Kemeny’s family and Joseph Felner were living in the rear building then. 1930 manuscript census displays further changes in residents’ records. Mennie Holdman is seen as the owner of the house, living with her two daughters, and sharing the building with Anton Kriegl’s family. Thomas Bacher’s family was living in the rear building in 1930. According to the records, the occupants and their families mostly came from Germany, Holland, Austria, and Hungary, and it was a working-class neighborhood community. Most of the occupants were laborers. There were also mechanists, barbers, brewery helpers, carpenters, and tea masters. |
1910-1930 Manuscript Census of Intersection of Cherry St & N 23rd St
1894 and 1910 Sanborn Fire Insurance maps of present-day Cherry Street Community Garden.
Aerial photos of Cherry Street Community Garden from 1951-2020.
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Sources:
"1900 US Federal Census," database with images, Ancestry (1900 United States Federal Census - Ancestry.com: downloaded 9 August 2022), database entry for William Schumacher; citing National Archives and Records Administration, 1900. T623, 1854 rolls.
"1910 US Federal Census," database with images, Ancestry (1910 United States Federal Census - Ancestry.com: downloaded 9 August 2022), database entry for William Schumacher; citing NARA microfilm publication T624, 1,178 rolls
"1920 US Federal Census," database with images, Ancestry (1920 United States Federal Census - Ancestry.com: downloaded 9 August 2022), database entry for Lena Schumacher; citing NARA microfilm publication T625, 2076 rolls
"1930 US Federal Census," database with images, Ancestry (1930 United States Federal Census - Ancestry.com: downloaded 9 August 2022), database entry for Lena Schumacher; citing National Archives and Records Administration, 1930. T626, 2,667 rolls.
Milwaukee County Land and Information Office. Aerial Photos [map]. " Milwaukee County GIS & Land Information Interactive map " <https://lio.milwaukeecountywi.gov/Html5Viewer/index.html?viewer=MCLIO-Map> (accessed July 24, 2022)
Milwaukee County Land and Information Office. Sanborn Fire Insurance Map [map]. 1:564. " Milwaukee County GIS & Land Information Interactive map " <https://lio.milwaukeecountywi.gov/Html5Viewer/index.html?viewer=MCLIO-Map> (accessed July 24, 2022)
"1900 US Federal Census," database with images, Ancestry (1900 United States Federal Census - Ancestry.com: downloaded 9 August 2022), database entry for William Schumacher; citing National Archives and Records Administration, 1900. T623, 1854 rolls.
"1910 US Federal Census," database with images, Ancestry (1910 United States Federal Census - Ancestry.com: downloaded 9 August 2022), database entry for William Schumacher; citing NARA microfilm publication T624, 1,178 rolls
"1920 US Federal Census," database with images, Ancestry (1920 United States Federal Census - Ancestry.com: downloaded 9 August 2022), database entry for Lena Schumacher; citing NARA microfilm publication T625, 2076 rolls
"1930 US Federal Census," database with images, Ancestry (1930 United States Federal Census - Ancestry.com: downloaded 9 August 2022), database entry for Lena Schumacher; citing National Archives and Records Administration, 1930. T626, 2,667 rolls.
Milwaukee County Land and Information Office. Aerial Photos [map]. " Milwaukee County GIS & Land Information Interactive map " <https://lio.milwaukeecountywi.gov/Html5Viewer/index.html?viewer=MCLIO-Map> (accessed July 24, 2022)
Milwaukee County Land and Information Office. Sanborn Fire Insurance Map [map]. 1:564. " Milwaukee County GIS & Land Information Interactive map " <https://lio.milwaukeecountywi.gov/Html5Viewer/index.html?viewer=MCLIO-Map> (accessed July 24, 2022)